Hurley condo association treasurer faces theft counts

HURLEY — A 73-year-old Hurley man appeared in Iron County Court Monday morning on two felony counts of theft in a business setting over $10,000.

Thomas J. Cvengros, of LaBlonde Lane, was represented in court by A. Dennis Cossi. He entered not guilty pleas to the counts and waived his right to a speedy preliminary examination.

Cvengros was released on a $5,000 signature bond by Iron County Judge Patrick Madden on the condition that he have no contact with the Eagle Bluff Condo Association and the Lake Michele Lake District.

According to the criminal complaint filed by Iron County District Attorney Marty Lipske, the charges are the result of a Hurley Police Department investigation by Sgt. Chris Colassaco.

The thefts are alleged from 2010 to 2013.

Colassaco was contacted in May by a member of the Eagle Bluff Condo Association about irregularities in the association’s checking account, according to the complaint.

Cvengros, the treasurer for the association, said he had taken money to purchase a computer for the association to do the finances, but never bought it.

He said he did the bookwork on his own computer in his basement.

In May, Cvengros was interviewed by police and he allegedly told them he had started taking money for the association in 2010. He would write checks to himself or to a bank sand then pay the money back, but “the situation continued to snowball out of control,” the complaint says.

Cvengros said he was also treasurer for the Lake Michele Lake District and he “started taking money from them” in 2011.

An outside accountant who was hired determined that Cvengros wrote fraudulent checks to himself from the condo association totaling $100, 532, but he replaced some of that money and still owes $42,882.

The lake district is owed $16,025, according to the complaint.

Cvengros formerly worked as the business officer for Gogebic Community College before retiring there.

The counts carry a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $50,000.